By Joel Charles.

Around the world, measures have been taken by various governments to curtail the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) since the beginning of the year.

Different measures were taken by different levels of government to safeguard the lives of their citizenry as the world transited into community transmission phase of the pandemic.

In the United States, President Donald Trump holds daily news conference to intimate the world with all that is happening in the country.

State governors and Mayors in the country also use their discretion to initiate measures to tackle the pandemic. The same trend is seen in the United Kingdom where Prime Minister Boris Johnson got infected by the virus but fully recovered.

Coming to Africa, the continent has had its fair share of the pandemic.

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Egypt was the first country to experience the pandemic in February when a German tourist died. Algeria was next before other countries followed suit.

The spread took a twist when Tedors Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization expressed concern about the potential for the virus to reach countries with weaker health systems, especially in Africa.

The Head of Emergency Operations in Africa for WHO, Michael Yao, expressed similar sentiment when he noted that Africa’s health system was already overwhelmed by many ongoing disease outbreaks.

Eventually, COVID-19 landed in Nigeria on February 27 when an Italian who transited from Lagos to Ogun State was diagnosed with the virus. The spread accelerated as Nigerians who travelled abroad began returning with coronavirus.

The community transmission phase of the virus forced President Muhammadu Buhari to declare 5-week lockdown in the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun States. Fear of the virus gripped other states even if they had yet to record any case.

Rivers State, headquarters of the hydrocarbon industry, took preemptive steps. Governor Nyesom Wike is the first state helmsman to sign an Executive Order that led to border closure among other actions.

This was done on March 19, 2020 during which it was announced in a state-wide broadcast that all land and sea borders in Rivers will be on lockdown and he also banned vehicles from entering or leaving the state. This was one of the early moves to show that the welfare of the citizenry of Rivers is of utmost concern to the governor. After initial criticisms, other states followed suit.

But at some point, Wike started getting feelers that there were efforts to sabotage the measures in place to curtail coronavirus in the state by a Deputy Commissioner of Police after he had ordered the lockdown in Port Harcourt and Obi Akpor Local Government Areas.

The ‘People’s Governor’ decided to call a Stakeholders’ Engagement meeting with government recognised traditional rulers and Council Chairmen where he urged them to sensitize their people on Order 6.

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The Order had banned the operation of hotels across the 23 local government areas of the state.

Subsequently, the governor inaugurated the Local Government Taskforces on COVID-19 where he sounded the warning strongly.

The Eleme Local Government Taskforce went to implement the Order and were allegedly attacked and brutalized with head injuries.

It is disheartening that Rivers State government on Wednesday announced the death of a member of its Taskforce on COVID-19 attacked by hoodlums at the demolished hotel in Port Harcourt.

The Wike dictum of leadership is similar to that of President Buhari. He is ‘for everybody and for nobody’. He ordered the demolition of Prodest Hotel, Adole, Eleme even if it belonged to a member of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP Youth Leader in Eleme, Princwill Osaroejiji, who is alleged to be on the run, allegedly masterminded the assault.

Government has placed N5million reward for any person who can give information that will lead to his arrest. Etemeteh Hotel, Onne was also demolished.

The demolition has expectedly generated reactions.

But a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Chief Onueze Okocha (SAN), says the Executive Order signed by Wike to curtail coronavirus is appropriate. Okocha advised anyone who uncomfortable with the Executive Order to approach the courts. The SAN lauded the steps taken by the governor to fight coronavirus as well thought out and well advised.

According to him, the steps will help to check the spread of the virus.

It is instructive that it is not only Okocha that sees Wike’s Order 6 in a positive light.

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, has also showered praises on the governor for his outstanding leadership role in the fight against Covid-19 when he visited Rivers.

Ihekweazu’s words: “I want to thank you for your firm, strong, committed and personally led response to COVID-19. We thank you very much for your leadership and we need your leadership to continue in order for us to continue doing our work nationally.”

Aside from Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, if the pandemic peradventure thrives in Rivers, it can become very disastrous for the communal good of the people. Wike has done well to curtail the pandemic in the state.

Nigerians must take serious government Orders while ensuring that the world is a better place for everyone in this critical time in human history.

Vanguard